Outspoken faces again beware

The very definition of hypocrisy

I know there are plenty of reasons for the rise of Donald Trump, but for this exercise I am directing a great deal of my finger pointing at evangelical Christians.

I'm talking about a host of hypocrites, including Jerry Falwell, Jr., Franklin Graham, and my old friend, Richie Furay.

Yeah, Richie Furay, I'm talkin' to you. 

As mentioned in that piece, I respect the hell out of Richie Furay the musician, but Richie Furay, the minister, not so much.

Since Trump's election (the scariest thing that's happened to this country, well, since I can remember), Furay has continued his anti-Obama, anti-healthcare, anti-immigrant. anti-Clinton posts and likes on Facebook. A great deal of it is NOT-CHRISTIAN like, at all. Or at least the Jesus teachings I am familiar with -- you know, the ones who take care of the poor and practice love and tolerance.

Richie Furay posts a mean Scripture, but I am unsure if he knows what some of it means. You can certainly disagree with policies, but it's quite unfortunate when those policies are more in line with biblical teaching, specifically those from the New Testament.

And for those other "preachers" who also believe Trump has accepted Christ and has Christ in his heart, really? Really?

Trump is a lying, sexual deviant whose God is money and power; his entire reason-to-be is based on the Seven Deadly Sins. He's a narcissist, beholden to Putin and Russia, who brings the worst out of people. Jesus would have kicked his ass out of the temple.

Trump is no more of a Christian than my dog. And the closest he should get to the White House is on a D.C. tour bus. And even then.....

If you supported Trump, you might not be a racist (although there's a decent chance that you are), but you are OK with racism -- and sexism -- and hate for those who are not as fortunate as you are.

And I have to confess, I really cannot respect anyone who voted for him. Sorry.

That means you Richie Furay. It's your brand of Christianity, which seems to be prevalent today, that's harming your religion. And by extension, our country.

I still love Poco, but it makes me feel shitty to hear it now, and I can't separate the art from the man.

Tell me why I am wrong.

"My two main men are Jesus and 'ol John Birch"

Neil Young, Richie Furay and Stephen Stills

I try hard to stay away from politics here. Oh, I have slipped a few times, but I never feel informed enough to state a coherent opinion publicly. And I have plenty of opinions.

But I will say (or write) something if I feel strongly enough about it -- or if I think I know enough to not come off as a fool.

So, here goes, simplistic or not.

I have long admired Richie Furay, he of Buffalo Springfield and Poco. Poco's "A Good Feelin' to Know" is one of my all-time favorite records. Not a weak cut anywhere; a great, great album.

Furay is now an ordained minister and has a church in Colorado. Good for him.

I recently noticed he was on Facebook and I gave him a follow. He was posting thoughts and photos from a trip to the Holy Land, along with random scriptures.

Good for him.

Now I see he is "liking" and "sharing" all the conservative hate for Obama in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks. Awful, anti-Muslim stuff. And even worse, a lot of negativity regarding the acceptance of Syrian refugees. Hey Richie, to me, that's not very Christian of you.

Not good for him.

And you can have your issues with Obama; I'm not thrilled with him often either.

But I was under the impression that the basic tenets of Christianity are that of compassion and peace, not spreading hate or prejudice. I still hear, see and read a lot of this intolerance from the "Christian" folks I know. It's more than unbecoming, it's ugly.

Every one of them should be ashamed of themselves.

But the fact that a minister is doing this -- well, that doesn't sit too well with me. I 'm still looking in the Bible for the passages where Jesus says we should buy more guns or take up arms, either in our daily lives or to respond to violence.

Richie Furay has long been sort of a hero of mine. Well, you know what they say about trusting your heroes.

And that ain't a good feelin' to know.